If you've shopped for organic products before, you know that they can cost quite a bit more than non-organic items.
So, why should you consider purchasing these more expensive products? What are the benefits of purchasing organic over non-organic?
Environment
Cleaner Water: With organic farming, there are no pesticides to leak into the water, potentially contaminating our drinking water.
Cleaner Air: Conventional farming requires chemicals to be sprayed, left to linger in the air for people and animals to be breathe.
Soil Erosion Prevention: In organic farming, the soil is built up with organic material, such as compost, which helps to enrich the ground and prevent erosion. Enriched soil also means more nutrient rich foods.
Reduce Pesticide Reliance: Pesticides may kill off some pests, but, just as with antibiotics in people, pests can develop a resistance towards pesticides. This makes the use of increasingly stronger pesticides necessary to continuously kill off the pests. With stronger and stronger pesticides, the risk to the humans and animals becomes increasingly greater.
Cleaner Water: With organic farming, there are no pesticides to leak into the water, potentially contaminating our drinking water.
Cleaner Air: Conventional farming requires chemicals to be sprayed, left to linger in the air for people and animals to be breathe.
Soil Erosion Prevention: In organic farming, the soil is built up with organic material, such as compost, which helps to enrich the ground and prevent erosion. Enriched soil also means more nutrient rich foods.
Reduce Pesticide Reliance: Pesticides may kill off some pests, but, just as with antibiotics in people, pests can develop a resistance towards pesticides. This makes the use of increasingly stronger pesticides necessary to continuously kill off the pests. With stronger and stronger pesticides, the risk to the humans and animals becomes increasingly greater.
Animals
No Growth Hormones or Antibiotics: Animals that are raised organically are not given growth hormones or antibiotics, so you will not have to worry about these chemicals being passed from your meat into your body.
Humane Treatment: Organically raised animals live under much more strict guidelines, allowing them to live under better conditions than those not organically raised. I will not go into detail about these conditions, but it's enough to say that they cane be very, very poor.
Organic Feed: Organically raised animals are, of course, feed organic only. This ensures no build up of pesticides in the animal, and no pesticides being passed onto you. Non-organically raised cows may be feed ground up remains of their own kind, which can spread bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease. Contaminated beef can cause Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease in humans, which is fatal. Organically raised cows are not feed animal remains.
No Growth Hormones or Antibiotics: Animals that are raised organically are not given growth hormones or antibiotics, so you will not have to worry about these chemicals being passed from your meat into your body.
Humane Treatment: Organically raised animals live under much more strict guidelines, allowing them to live under better conditions than those not organically raised. I will not go into detail about these conditions, but it's enough to say that they cane be very, very poor.
Organic Feed: Organically raised animals are, of course, feed organic only. This ensures no build up of pesticides in the animal, and no pesticides being passed onto you. Non-organically raised cows may be feed ground up remains of their own kind, which can spread bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease. Contaminated beef can cause Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease in humans, which is fatal. Organically raised cows are not feed animal remains.
Helping Farmers, Workers, and Their Families
Protecting Their Health: The daily exposure to chemicals used in conventional farming can increase a farm worker's risk of developing cancer.
Support Small Farms: Most organic farms are small, family-owned and run businesses. Purchasing organic can help ensure family survival.
Protecting Their Health: The daily exposure to chemicals used in conventional farming can increase a farm worker's risk of developing cancer.
Support Small Farms: Most organic farms are small, family-owned and run businesses. Purchasing organic can help ensure family survival.
Health Reasons
Chemical Free Food: Although there is conflicting research on the subject of whether or not organic foods are healthier, eating non-organic foods have not been proven to be completely safe. These items contain no more than an approved amount of chemicals, but no one knows how dangerous ingesting the chemicals in combination from multiple food sources can be, or the long-term effects of these chemicals on our bodies.
Clean Air and Water: As mentioned before, organic farming does not rely on harmful chemicals that can pollute our water and air, so we can breathe more freely and drink with less concern.
Chemical Free Food: Although there is conflicting research on the subject of whether or not organic foods are healthier, eating non-organic foods have not been proven to be completely safe. These items contain no more than an approved amount of chemicals, but no one knows how dangerous ingesting the chemicals in combination from multiple food sources can be, or the long-term effects of these chemicals on our bodies.
Clean Air and Water: As mentioned before, organic farming does not rely on harmful chemicals that can pollute our water and air, so we can breathe more freely and drink with less concern.
And As A Bonus
Taste!: If the above reasons aren't enough to convince you to at least try organic, consider the benefits for your taste buds! From personal experience, I can tell you that organic foods taste just as good, if not better than their non-organic counterparts. No sacrificing flavor!So what products are considered organic? Here is the list:
Must contain at least 95% organically produced ingredients. The other 5% must be nonagricultural or approved non-organic ingredients on the USDA's national list.
Before the use of non-organic ingredients, the company must prove a lack in quality or quantity of equivalent organic ingredients.
Terms must be displayed on front of package.
Taste!: If the above reasons aren't enough to convince you to at least try organic, consider the benefits for your taste buds! From personal experience, I can tell you that organic foods taste just as good, if not better than their non-organic counterparts. No sacrificing flavor!So what products are considered organic? Here is the list:
Must contain at least 95% organically produced ingredients. The other 5% must be nonagricultural or approved non-organic ingredients on the USDA's national list.
Before the use of non-organic ingredients, the company must prove a lack in quality or quantity of equivalent organic ingredients.
Terms must be displayed on front of package.
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